Shuffle of Stories!
by MysteryLlama
Summary: I write random one-shots that come into my head while a random song plays. Some stories will be in AU and some characters will be OOC.
1. The Only Exception

**Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater.**

* * *

Maka was walking along the park, and saw no one. The sand was a beautiful gold shining along with the sun, and the swings swayed along with the wind. There were two trees on opposite sides of the playground. She smiled as she remembered what happened last week; what she considered the best day of her life.

Flashback

Soul was running down the hallway of the school, trying to catch up to Maka. The hall was filled with people everywhere, and he had to push his way through to get to the girl he loved. People shoved him back, and he was tempted to fight, but he wanted to get to his meister.

"Maka!"

No response. He still ran, and almost tripping. He got a few laughs, but sighed deeply and kept running.

"Maka!"

Her pigtails whirled around with her head, and her eyes met Soul's. He caught up with her, and put his arm on her shoulder, trying to catch his breath. She stared down at him, eyes filled with concern.

"I- finally- caught up with you." He said through huffs. He smiled, looking up at her. Maka smiled back and him.

_Her smile is perfect._

He let go of her, and stepped back. She did so too, and clasped her hands together behind her back.

"So Soul, why'd you come to me?"

"I- uh-" He struggled to find the right words, without messing up his confession.

"Hmm?" She leaned back and forth, waiting for an answer. His gaze met hers, and they immediately blushed. Maka looked away, and Soul shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Maka I-"

"Maka!"

The two turned their heads to the right, and saw BlackStar walking up to them. Maka sighed and shook her head.

"Sorry Soul, I gotta go." She pointed her thumb at the blue-haired assassin. "I'm gonna show him I'm better than him at arm wrestling." She grinned. Soul laughed.

"Good luck. BlackStar may be an idiot, but if it's arm wrestling you're challenging him at, you're gonna lose."

"We'll see. Alright, BlackStar! I'm ready!"

"Good. Let's go. Don't keep a big star like me waiting!" BlackStar said, walking out of the school. Maka turned and followed him, but then Soul grabbed her hand.

"Soul...?" She faced him. He kept on staring at her, and refused to back out.

"Maka, I have to tell you something."

"Then go ahead."

"...I -"

"Maka hurry _up!"_ BlackStar yelled. Maka got away from Soul's grasp and jogged off before telling Soul:

"Tell me at home ok? Bye!"

Soul stood there, heart sinking.

_I didn't get to tell her..._

Later on at Maka & Soul's apartment

Maka walked in through the door, seeing Soul lounging on the couch, flipping through channels. He noticed her, and sat up. He made room for Maka, but she shook her head in response.

"I'm going to make dinner."

"Maka, can you just sit down for a minute?"

_It's now or never._

She blinked once, then agreed. She relaxed on the sofa beside Soul and faced him.

"What's up?"

"Maka, I've been trying to tell you this for a long time now...I really like you."

"Uh...what nonsense are you spouting out now, Soul?" She scoffed and turned away, blushing. He saw that tiny hint of red on her, and continued.

"I meant, I really like you, more than friends."

She looked at him.

"Sure, we're best friends."

_She's really dense._

"Geez, Maka. You're not making this anymore easier for me." He closed his eyes.

"What are you trying to say?" She began to get impatient. He opened his eyes again, and they were filled with determination.

"Maka, will you go out with me?"

A wave of heat rushed to her cheeks and she couldn't hide it. She began to cry, because she didn't think anyone would like her. Ever. Especially her weapon, who she's always liked in the way friends wouldn't. She hid it for a while, and refused to show any feelings towards him because of her fear of being rejected by him. But here he was, confessing to her.

"Hey, don't cry. Did I say something?"

"...Stupid." She let out a tiny laugh and wiped away her tears of happiness. Soul smirked and leaned in for a hug.

"So, is that a yes?"

"Me calling you stupid...is a yes to you?"

"...In a way."

"Of course." She hugged him tighter, letting more tears flow. "I love you Soul."

"I love you too, Maka. I always have." He let go. "So um, will you make dinner now?"

Normal

Maka laughed at the memory. She walked on the sand of the playground and kicked it for a while, remembering moments of her and Soul. She soon wandered into thoughts of how she managed to like him in the first place. She despised men, but accepted him. He was different. She sat on the swing and looked at the sand. A few seconds later, a shadow covered the brightness. She lifted her head, and saw Soul. He sat down on the swing next to her, and smiled.

"Why are you at a playground?" He asked.

"I should be asking you that." She laughed.

"I came to find you, and for some apparent reason you are here. At a park."

"I just took a walk and some fresh air."

"That's cool." He smirked. "So who won; you or BlackStar?"

Maka sighed in disappointment. Soul knew the answer, and chuckled.

"I told you."

"Don't rub it in." She pouted. He smirked and got off the swing. He walked towards one of the trees. He grabbed a skinny branch with a pointy end, and began carving in the trunk. Maka got off the swing, and saw what he was doing. Once he finished, they both saw the first letter of their names surrounded by a heart.

"I know, it's really lame." He scratched the back of his head, and looked at Maka. She glanced at him, then back at the tree.

"I'll make an exception." She grinned. They both laughed and began playing around the park.

* * *

**A/N: (Song: 'The Only Exception' by Paramore.)**


	2. Memories

Kid walked down the sidewalks of the new city he transferred and looked up at the sky.

_What have I gotten myself into?_

He noticed all kinds of kids and people. Some were friends, couples, families, etc. He sighed and looked down.

_I miss my old city._

He frowned as he regretted moving to the new town because of an opportunity grim reapers like him specialize in. He missed his friends. Maka and Soul had finally gone out, BlackStar was still into puffing up his own ego and Tsubaki was there to stop him when times got serious, and Liz and Patty...

He stopped walking and slapped his forehead.

He never knew they'd be sad enough to actually beg, plead, and cry for him. He thought it was something girls do, but he was wrong. Those girls were special. His weapons. They admired him because of everything he's done. He saved them from the horrible condition they were living in. When he first met them, they threatened to kill him.

He laughed at the memory.

They were so awkward when they moved into his house. They still had their bad habits, but quickly grew out of them due to Kid's help. He missed them too, and wanted to return. But this was for himself, right?

_I feel selfish._

He took his hand off of his forehead and looked ahead, only to be staring into a young girl's eyes.

"Hello."

"...Hahaha you look funny! What's with the stripes?" She pointed at his hair. His eyes widened as he realized how unsymmetrical he was. He collapsed to the ground, and hugged the ground. Many people stared, including the little girl, until her mother came and pulled her away. Kid sobbed there, not caring about anything else.

"Garbage! Asymmetrical garbage! Why are there only one set of stripes?!"

A boy around his age offered to help, but Kid ignored him and kept on going...until he heard familiar voices.

"Kid!"

"Kiiiiiid! Hehe!"

He lifted his head up and saw two recognizable teenage girls run up to him. He quickly got off the ground, dusted himself off, and stood up straight. As they approached him, he became sure of who they were.

"Liz! Patty!"

They tackled him into a bear hug, almost chocking him in the process. They let go, and had wide smiles across their faces.

"So Kid, how's the city working out for you?" Liz asked looking around, putting her hands on her hips.

"It looks sooo pretty!" Patty squealed.

"It's alright." He said plainly. "I miss Death City, though."

"Why?" The Thompson sisters asked in unison.

"Because everyone I know is there. You guys still live there, and I won't get to see you both often like this."

"Who said we still lived there?" Patty questioned.

"What...?"

"C'mon!" Liz pulled Kid's hand and dragged him halfway through the town. They finally arrived at a townhouse. It was dark blue and had a few windows.

"I know it isn't the best way to live now, but we'll manage!"

"You mean..."

"We're living here, too!" Patty finished. She pulled him inside and showed him his room. Liz gave him a little tour.

"We decided to go to school here too, and of course we'll still be your partners."

"That's great." Kid stated. He was relieved and happy. But he still missed his other friends too.

Next Day at School

Kid was walking down the hallway with his two weapons, and saw a girl that looked just like Maka. He squinted, and realized that it really was Maka. He called out her name, and she came to him.

"Hey Kid!"

"What are you doing here?" He asked, surprised to see her.

"I decided to study here. They offer great classes!"

"That's good."

"We also knew you were here, so we decided to come along!"

"We...?"

Just then Soul, BlackStar, and Tsubaki strolled in. His eyes widened as he saw them. He was overjoyed to see them again, but he didn't know how to express it.

"We all came here with you Kid," Liz said.

"Because we care!" Patty once again finished. Everyone stared at Kid, and saw the look on his face. They all laughed.

"What? Did I do something?" He started to panic.

"No," Maka started. "It's just that you seem surprised."

"Well of course I am. I didn't expect for all of you to come."

"Of course we came," BlackStar said. "What kind of friends would we be if we weren't there to support you? Especially with someone as big as me!"

"I just, didn't know." Kid smiled.

"We're not gonna let our memories fade away. We all could never do that." Liz told him, hugging Patty.

* * *

**A/N: (Song: 'Memories' by Panic! At The Disco.)**


	3. Miss Murder

He walked down the roads of Death city and looked up at the stars.

"Damn..."

He let Maka run away from him earlier. They got into a fight and she couldn't take it. It wasn't the first time they argued.

"Where is she?"

He continued to walk and stared at the cobble stone streets.

"How could I let her slip away so easily?"

* * *

"Wha...What?"

"YOU DARE ENTER MY LAIR?"

Maka stepped back, frightened. To her, everything around her lay fire and the ground was breaking. Fire was everywhere, and weird creatures were walking around. They didn't seem to mind being burnt.

"What is this?"

Her nails dug into the wall and didn't dare let her back break apart from it.

"I will ask you again, young lady." A scary looking creature asked. It had a deep voice of a woman. She had fire-red hair and eyes. Her body yellow and scaly. "What are you doing here?"

"I-I don't know." Maka stuttered while she shivered. She was completely honest about her answer. She didn't exactly know why she was here...wherever she was. She was confused now and had many mixed emotions.

"Alright then." The monster slithered to Maka. "I'll just have to eat you."

"A-Ah no! No!" Maka slipped away and ran to the right. The creature chased after her, catching up. Maka didn't dare look back to see the horrible upcoming sight. Why did she have to run away from Soul like that? It was a silly argument! She felt stupid.

"I'll get you! Don't try to escape!"

Maka suddenly tripped on the dried, cracked-up ground. Fire was still surrounding her and everyone else around her. She thought she would burn to death.

"I don't get it. What is this place? Is this a dream?"

"Ha! Don't make me laugh! A dream?" The monster mocked. "More like a nightmare!"

She stood up and grabbed Maka by the shoulder. It stood on its hind legs and picked the young teenage girl up like paper. Maka became wide-eyed. She squirmed and kicked in the position she was in.

"Let me go!"

"As if that'll help."

She carried her to a chimney looking thing. Except it was big enough to fit people. Maka got the message.

"No!"

The steam from the chimney blew out furiously.

"Ah, it's ready." The monster smirked. She put Maka in one hand and pushed her to the fire. The meister stumbled a bit and stood in her place. She glanced at the lizard-looking thing, seeing if she really wanted her to go here. Her face gave away a 'yes' answer, and Maka sighed.

"I never meant to take total control of Soul."

She let a tear fall.

"I'm sorry."

"Get in already. Dinner's better when it's hot."

By then, lots more tears came dripping down. The thought of death frightened the living daylights out of Maka. Especially a death penalty as cruel as this one. Being burnt to ashes while you're alive.

She soon remembered how she got here. Her argument with Soul had gotten out of hand, so she ran. While she did, she accidentally fell into a hole. A huge one. She regretted running away, seeing where it got her.

She slowly made her way to the fire.

* * *

"Maka!"

Soul ran around the streets, looking for his partner. He gave their argument some thought earlier, and realized it was pointless. He soon took off in search for Maka.

That's when he stopped in front of a deep-looking, black hole in the middle of the road. He leaned forward, looking for an end to the darkness, but saw nothing.

_Could Maka have gone here?_

He shook his head in his own response.

_She's couldn't be that careless._

He took a deep breath and thought about it.

_Well, she ran away after the disagreement, so it's possible she couldn't have known where she was going._

He stared down at the pit.

_It's worth a try._

And with that, he jumped down. He could see nothing but the world of black around him. As he descended, he began to feel the heat rising. Soon enough the sight of flames caught his eyes. His face immediately took on a fearful one as he closed his eyes. A few seconds later, he landed on his feet. He opened his eyes and they widened. He was in the fire, but wasn't burning.

"What the hell?"

He got a few stares from creatures passing by. Soul eyed them.

_At least I'm a death scythe._

"Maka!"

He called out her name a couple of times, but got no response.

* * *

"Go on! I won't wait anymore!" The scaly monster ordered the ash-blonde girl.

"I-I can't!" Maka had her hands in fists. She stopped walking to the fire and stopped crying, but she was shivering uncontrollably.

"Maka!" A voice called. She whipped her head around, recognizing the deep, cool voice.

"Soul!" She responded back. They soon met each others gaze. Then Maka had a sudden thought. "SOUL LEAVE! GO!"

"What? Why?" He was in front of her now. His meister pushed him away harshly.

"I don't want you to get hurt! Leave!"

"I'll never leave you!"

The demon got annoyed.

"Little beings it is time. Thank you, girl, for bringing in dessert." She said as she licked her lips. That sent shivers down Soul's spine.

"He's not desert! Or food! He has more value than that." Maka's voice softened. "I should've treated him with more respect instead of using him like a tool."

"That's what partners are for. I'm your weapon. You _have _to use me."

"Not in a way that'll make me seem careless!" Maka remembered the argument. "I'm sorry about earlier."

Soul smirked. "It's cool."

"I don't want to die."

"We won't." He glared at the monster. "I'll transform."

Maka took on a determined face.

"Right!"

* * *

**A/N: (Song: 'Miss Murder' by AFI.)**


	4. Coming Down

Maka walked around the school as clumsily as ever. She stumbled with every step she took. Last night, she shed about a million tears.

"I hate my life." She muttered, pushing open the door to class crescent moon.

"Maka. You're late. Please stay out in the hall." Stein ordered. Maka rolled her eyes and closed the door.

"Damn."

Stein stepped out and warned her not to do that again.

"Are you okay?" He asked, finally noticing her red, puffy eyes, also with a hint of drowsiness and tiredness.

"Yeah yeah. Whatever I'm fine." She pushed past him and slammed the door open. She walked to her seat, with everyone staring at her. She stopped in the middle of walking up the stairs, and commented.

"The hell are you all looking at?"

The whole class became wide-eyed. She continued to her seat and sat down. Soul turned his head to her.

"What's wrong, Maka? What was that?"

"Why do you care?"

"I want to know what's wrong with my meister."

"The hell does it matter?" She spat. Soul continued to look at her until she gave him a death glare. After class ended, she walked out of class and out of the school. Soul chased after her and grasped her arm.

"Maka where are you going?!"

"Out." She pulled away from him.

"No!" He grabbed her again. "It's lunch time. Where are you headed?!"

"To eat something outside!"

"You know we're not allowed to." He softened his grip. Maka took this as a chance and ran. He immediately responded and ran after her.

"Stay the hell away from me!" She shook her head and kept on running. Soul didn't say anything and continued to follow her.

"You don't understand!" Maka continued. "No one does!" She was about to trip, but kept on running as she almost fell to the ground.

"Maka! Enough! Stop this!"

She took a turn into a dark ally and Soul turned as well. When he looked though, nothing was there.

"Dammit I lost her!" He ran down the alley way and looked in every direction. He continued forward and saw more paths.

"What is this? Some kind of maze?"

He walked down and took many lefts and rights.

"Maka! Maka come out!" He looked up, seeing the clouds darkening up. While he was looking up, he saw a tiny door.

"What's a door doing up there? There's no way somebody could climb that without a ladder."

He searched around for one and to his luck, found what he was looking for. He set it against the brick wall and climbed on it. Not caring how unstable it was and how he could fall over and injure himself. He opened the tiny door and jumped in it, letting the ladder fall as his weight lifted from it. He closed the door behind him and was surrounded by darkness.

"Where's the light?"

He lifted his hand out and searched for one. He crawled around the tiny space and fell into a hole.

"GAH!"

He landed on his back and in a room full of teenagers. The walls and floor were wooden. People stared at him, but soon ignored him seeing as he was harmless. The lights in there were dim, so he had to adjust his eyes. He stood up and walked around searching for Maka, looking like a lost child.

"Maka?"

Some more teenagers stole glances at him. Some even glared at him.

He looked at the people around him, and just about everybody was wearing black. They blended in with the room, making it harder for him to spot his meister.

"Maka! Where are you!?"

"Hey. What are you doing here?" A girl called out to him. He turned to get a look at her, and saw her appearance. She had short brown hair, grey sweats, and a tight black T-shirt. She had on neon green and pink bracelets which made her stand out more.

"What's it to you?"

"Hey! Don't you have any respect? I'm trying to help!" She walked up to him and poked his chest. "Now, what are you doing here? I've asked you twice now, and I'm _not _going to repeat myself."

Soul stepped back.

"I'm looking for someone."

The teenage girl moved her hand in a circular motion to tell him to go on.

"Have you seen a girl come by here with pigtails? She's wearing a black cloak-"

"_Her_? She's new here."

"Where is she?"

"None of your business." She folded her arms. Soul rolled his eyes.

"And you wanted to help?"

"What are you to her?"

"I'm her weapon."

The girl's eyes widened and her arms dropped to her sides.

"You're from the DWMA?!"

Soul smirked.

"Yeah."

His grin disappeared and he took off. He continued to search for his partner. Soon enough, he walked into a dark, empty room. There was a window, but that was all the light he could get.

As he inspected the place, he spotted his partner. He ran up to her and grabbed her shoulder.

"Hey! Maka!"

She didn't respond.

"Come on. We're going home."

He began to pull her but she stayed in her place.

"What's wrong, Maka?"

She turned around and stared into Soul's eyes.

"My mama died..."

Tears came dripping down her face. Soul looked at her with concern written all over his face.

"I miss her." Maka commented. Soul pulled her into a soft hug. Maka then let herself let it all out. She clutched his jacket and sobbed into his shirt. He patted her head, trying to comfort her.

"Don't worry. She's in a better place now."

That caused her to cry more and Soul rolled his eyes.

_I shouldn't have said that._

Maka soon fell asleep. All that crying made her tired. Soul picked her up over his shoulder.

_She slept standing up._

* * *

After a couple of days Maka managed to cool off. Soul was still concerned and he wanted to know what she was doing in that place he found her in first.

"Why were you in that building?"

"Do you even know what that is?"

"No."

"Well, it's a club. That's where teenagers like us go to when he face something traumatic. There, people talk about it with other people who went through the same thing or something like that."

"What about that room I found you in? You were alone."

"I needed time to think."

"Ok. Well, next time need something to talk about, tell me about it."

"Okay." Maka smiled at Soul. She knew he would always be there for her.

* * *

**A/N: (Song: 'Coming Down' by Five Finger Death Punch.)**


	5. World Is Mine

Maka had tried many times. It just wasn't working. Here she was, standing right behind the corner of a wall in the hallway, leaning toward the open aisle, her eyes trained on Soul; her crush.

He was laughing with his friends after someone had just told a joke. Maka could hear herself chuckling because of how cool Soul's laugh was. After that she returned to her determined state.

_I have to find a way to get him to notice me!_

She marched up behind him and lifted her finger to tap him on the shoulder. Unfortunately, while she was walking, she slipped on a piece of paper littered on the floor. Falling bottom first and letting out a little squeal, Soul's attention turned to her, letting him stare at the fallen girl.

A huge wave of embarrassment rushed to Maka.

"Great. Just great." She began to lift herself off the ground; when a hand was placed in front of her. Lifting her head, she saw Soul. He had on a smile that could light up a room.

She let herself get lost in his appearance. His eyes were a unique shade of red, his face flawless, his hair a snow-white _nobody _in the school had besides him. She guessed that he caught her looking into his eyes and getting distracted, because he put on a smirk and showed off his sharp teeth.

Accepting his hand, she placed her's on his and got up. She let go and dusted herself off.

"Thanks."

"It's no problem." He grinned and walked away with his friends. Before Maka could respond, he was out of sight. She took a few steps toward the lockers and gently slammed her fist on it.

"I didn't get to say 'hi' to him. Or even start a conversation!" She sighed. "I'll try again another day."

Next Day

It was the weekend and Maka was walking along the streets in the more active part of Death City. She decided to sit near a fountain. As she almost got lost in random thoughts, she noticed an ice cream stand in front her. It was meters away so she got up and began to walk toward it. But she stopped in her tracks when she saw Soul step in front her and buy his own ice cream. He turned around and had a startled face.

"Oh. Sorry." He stepped to the left. "I didn't see you there, Maka."

"I-It's ok..."

_He knows my name..._

"Uh, wait! No no! You can go first!" Maka insisted. His eyes looked confused and he noticed the girl in front of him getting a little flustered.

"No I'm fine. I cut in front of you. That wasn't cool."

Maka was thinking this over then decided to just go along with it.

"Oh I see. Thanks." She gave off a small smile and proceeded buying her ice cream. But just as she was about to hand the money over, Soul blocked her and have his own to the cashier person.

"It's the least I can do."

He grinned. He also ordered his own cone as well. After that, he decided to talk with Maka for a bit. Seeing he had nothing better to do.

"So what's up?"

He asked her, taking a bite. They were sitting in chairs and across from each other in a two person booth outside of a restaurant.

"Um, the sky." She looked at him with wonder. She didn't know why he asked that.

Soul blinked once then busted out laughing.

"I didn't mean it literally." He managed to say. After a few seconds, he cooled down. "When someone asks you that, they mean 'what have you been doing lately'."

"Oh," She felt a little embarrassed. Not because she didn't understand the question, but because Soul laughed at her. "Well then why don't they just ask that?"

"I'm not sure." He let his eyes wander around.

"So, what's up?" Maka asked. As soon as Soul's eyes landed on her, she looked away.

_I don't know why in the world I just asked that. So stupid!_

"Nothing really." He smirked. Maka felt relieved when he did.

"That's good." She smiled. "Um, hey Soul?" She looked back at him with hope.

"Yeah?" He straightened himself up.

"Can we hang out more like this? You probably don't even know much about me and I don't really know you personally, so..."

"Sure."

Maka's eyes widened.

"Really? O-Okay!" Her emerald eyes glistened with happiness.

* * *

School

They were passing by each other in the hallway, both noticing the others presence.

"Hey Maka."

"Hi!"

She loved that she got to be more friendly with him. But she still wanted to be his girlfriend though. Him being her crush still hasn't changed.

"What class are you going to?"

"Math." She signed with joy. Soul raised an eyebrow but soon lowered it realizing he had the same class with her. From there Maka and Soul walked to class together.

After about 50,000 problems to solve, it was time for lunch. Maka had packed and Soul bought lunch. He saw that she was sitting alone at the table so he decided to eat with her. The weird thing was that she was smiling...and she's by herself. He guessed that some girls are just strange like that.

"Maka." He said her name as he took a seat beside her. She turned her head to him and she smiled.

"Hey."

She took out pudding from her lunch bag and opened it. She grabbed the spoon and began to eat it. Soul looked down at his lunch then at Maka's dessert.

He grabbed the spoon from Maka's hand and stuffed it in his mouth.

"Wha...Soul!"

"Hmm?"

"That's mine! What are you doing?!"

He removed the spoon and gave it back to her.

"Trying the pudding."

She sighed and pushed her food to him.

"You take it. It's your now."

He shrugged and began eating it. There was about a spoonful left after about a minute, and he decided to have fun. He got some with his finger and put it on Maka's nose.

Surprised, she stared down at the pudding.. She began laughing. Soul did too.

* * *

After about a week of those two getting along, Maka began to get a little impatient.

_When will he ask me out?!_

There she was again, spying on Soul from afar in the hallway. She thought that maybe he was forgetting about her, so she made the choice to ask him out herself instead. All that thought just now. In her head.

She began to walk to him, but what startled her, was him turning around and staring right at her; as if he knew she was coming up to him.

"Stop there, Maka."

She obeyed.

"Why though?"

Soul almost broke out laughing. But he didn't. He held in his laughter.

"I wouldn't want you to slip again."

Maka started to pout and she crossed her arms.

_Nothing is going as planned._

Then to her surprise, he stood in front of her and pulled her into a hug. She blushed madly, but didn't push away.

"Soul? What are you doing?"

"You're cute, Maka."

"Soul, w-will you-"

"Go out with me."

Maka's eyes widened.

"I..."

"I wasn't finishing your sentence, I was telling you." He looked down at her red face. "Go out with me."

She closed her eyes and smiled joyfully.

"It's about time. Of course."

* * *

**A/N: (Song: 'World Is Mine' by Hatsune Miku.)**


	6. Headstrong

BlackStar kept on punching the sandbag.

"Dammit!"

He made a strained face. He'd do whatever it takes to get stronger. Being defeated my Mifune was not going to leave his mind until he gained more muscle.

"BlackStar, stop for today." Tsubaki pleaded, standing beside him. He ignored her and continued punching.

"That's enough."

More sweat trickled down his forehead. He's been doing this for the past three hours. He grunted as he hit it a few more times. Tsubaki could tell he was going to give up any moment. She grabbed his arm and pulled it down forcefully. His other arm slowly came to a stop as he looked at his weapon.

"What?" He glared at her. Though it soon went away after seeing her soft eyes.

"I told you that's enough. You can continue this another day. We have school tomorrow and you'll never be able to get up if you stay late," She smiled. "You can hardly get up on usual mornings!" She laughed. BlackStar gave off a small grin and walked off to take a shower.

* * *

On their way to school, BlackStar couldn't stop staring off into space. He nearly tripped a couple of times, too. Tsubaki eventually held on to his arm firmly.

"Thanks." He told her. She kept an eye on him because she started to have her suspicions.

_I wonder what's bothering him?_

He side-glanced her for a second then stared straight ahead.

"I'm fine."

Tsubaki stopped walking as she gasped slightly.

"I'm sorry, was I bothering you?"

"No. It's just that I can tell you're worried about me," He faced her completely. "Your god is all fine!" He gave off a big grin. Tsubaki nodded in understanding then continued to walk with him.

Class

"BlackStar, what was the question again?" Tsubaki asked her partner. Her eyes were focused on the assignment in front of her eyes. She tried to figure out what question Stein gave that wasn't on the classwork, but she just couldn't think of it.

BlackStar was kicked back in his seat as he stared at the board the teacher was explaining directions on.

"BlackStar." Professor Stein called in a monotone voice. His student didn't seem to respond, so he called his name again; this time a bit more louder. Getting no answer, Tsubaki lifted her head and turned to BlackStar.

"Professor Stein is talking to you. Answer."

His eyes moved to Tsubaki without blinking. She jumped slightly at the feeling in his eyes. It gave off the impression that he was upset.

_What's gotten into him?_

"What does he want?" He finally spoke. Tsubaki glanced around the room, avoiding BlackStar's glare.

"Um, I-I think he's waiting for you to respond to him." She stuttered. She was very uncomfortable.

The blue-haired assassin lifted his shoes from the table and sat down properly. He adjusted in his seat then settled on placing his elbow on the desk, with his chin rested against his palm.

"...What did you need, professor?" He asked, not looking directly at the teacher. Stein noticed but proceeded with his lesson.

"Speak to me after class." He said before turning back to the board.

* * *

BlackStar jumped down the aisle in the classroom as he made his way to the front. Crossing his arms and tapping his foot, he waited for the teacher to begin the conversation.

"Pay attention in class more." Stein told him while filing some papers slowly. BlackStar rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Is this what you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Not quite," He stopped organizing for a moment. "What seems to be the problem?"

"What problem? I don't have any."

"The one that you seem to be more focused on now."

"...I'm just thinking of a way to get stronger. Do you have anything to help me?"

"Well, first you need to calm down," Stein faced the boy and examined his soul wavelength. "You seem troubled. Why is that?"

"I was defeated by Mifune twice," He clenched his fists. "I won't let that happen again, so I'm training everyday. Actually, that's something I usually do, but this time I'm trying twice as hard."

"Don't strain yourself. You need to find a way to pace yourself and breath. Why exactly do you want to defeat Mifune?"

"To win."

Stein sat down on his rolling-chair.

"You're not going to get anywhere with that type of goal. What will you do if you fail?"

BlackStar stared at the older meister with hard eyes and furrowed eyebrows.

"I'm _not_ going to fail."

* * *

"Tsubaki, transform." The assassin ordered. The pair was walking along the banks of a river; inspecting every single living thing around them. They were in middle of trying to spot the samurai who had once defeated BlackStar.

The raven-haired girl did as she was told. Held in her partners hands in chain-scythe form, she spoke to him.

"When we spot Mifune, we have to keep a steady pace. Don't rush into the battle, or it might result in another loss."

To be honest with herself, she didn't know why she was helping BlackStar in this. The battle that was soon to start was only for a victory; not for a kishin soul and not for a good cause, just for winning.

"I know what to do, don't worry. I know how to handle this."

"...I hope you do, Blackstar."

They soon heard shuffling in the bushes. Their attention immediately focused in that direction.

Soon enough, swords were thrown at the two and the assassin jumped over them. At that point, BlackStar had a tight grip on Tsubaki and was ready to take on whatever else came to him.

He knew the battle had begun.

* * *

**A/N: (Song: 'Headstrong' by Trapt.)**


End file.
